Tank type suction cleaner



Allg 254 1943 I E. A. FRENCH 2,447,500

TANK TYPE SUCTION CLEANER Filed Oct. 2, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet JLy 5)/ mmf@ Aug. 24, 1948. E, A, FRENCH 2,447,500

TANK TYPE SUCTION CLEANER Filed Oct. 2, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 24, i948. E, A, FRENCH 2,447,500

TANK TYPE SUCTION CLEANER Filed 001'.. 2, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 y? gg E. A. FRENCH TANK TYPE SUCTION CLEANER Aug.. 24, 194s.

4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed oct. 2, 1944;

Patented Aug. 24, 1948 OFFICE TANK TYPE SUCTION CLEANER Edward A. French, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Birtman Electric Company, a corporation of Illinois Application October 2, 1944.

7 Claims.

This invention relates to a tank type suction cleaner and more particularly to a suction cleaner having a substantially cylindrical casing or housing, an exhaust opening in the rear end thereof communicating successively with a motor, a fan, a filter, and a dust chamber in the front of the casing. The invention relates particularly to the structure of the casing whereby access to the customary dust bag in the dust chamber is facilitated without interfering with the appearance of the cleaner or adding to its weight.

The invention is illustrated in the drawings in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the cleaner; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the cleaner; Fig. 3 is a rear elevation; Fig. 4 is a top plan View of the cleaner; Fig. 5--a is a vertical section of the front end of the cleaner; Fig. 5 1] is a sid-e elevation of the rear end of the cleaner; Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation taken along the line E-B in Fig. 5-a; and Fig. 7 is a section taken along the line 'l-l in Fig. 5 1?.

The cleaner comprises the casing or housing 20 which is split on the horizontal plane into an upper casing 22 and a lower casing 23. The handle 2G is centrally located in the top of the upper casing. The handle comprises studs 25 which are an integral part of the casting. The handle grip 23 is secured to the studs by any appropriate means such as screws 26a. Arms 21 are pivotally mounted to the grip in any suitable manner as by the pins 28. Each of the studs has a lateral projection 25a which underlies the arms 2l. The forward faces 25h of these extensions are curved parallel to the curve of the rear portion of the arms 2l. The front faces 2'la of the arms are curved symmetrically with the rear faces.

The arms 2l are an integral part of and carry the lid 29. This lid is secured to the lower casing member 23 by the latch 3U. The lid includes an air inlet 3l having an annular groove 32 adapted to engage the ordinary hose connection. The dust bag 33 having a substantially rigid neck portion 34, an annular lip 35 embedded in an annular gasket 36, is carried by the lid.

In the invention the lid, as will be observed, is pivoted about the pins 28 and may be lifted after disengagement of the latch 3G. The bag 33 is lifted with the lid and removed from the dust chamber il Within which it is normally positioned. The preferred mechanism for mounting the bag within the lid is best shown in Figures 5-b and 7. This comprises the grooved stud 31a which extends upwardly from one side of the bag opening t0 the top, across the top, and down the Serial No. 556,824

(Cl. 18S-37) 2 other side, forming a semi-annular groove 3l into which the lip 35 may be slid from the front end of the lid after the lid has been opened. When it is in position within the groove 3l, the lower edge of the dust bag lip 35 abuts the horizontal flange 3S of the lower casting, and is pressed against it by the edge 4l! of the lid. In this manner the bag, when in position, is sealed between the upper and lower housing members in airtight engagement. On the other hand, the bag is automatically removed by lifting the lid and sliding the bag out of the semi-annular groove 3l.

The dust bag, it will be observed in Figure 7, has a semi-circular opening 33a deined by the lip 35 and the rigid neck 3i. The bag is so constructed that the upper edge 33h extends rearwardly angularly from the neck, the angle being such as to cause the bag to lie substantially horizontally. The rear side 33e of the bag is at right1 angles to the upper edge 3327 and the lower edge 33d. The iront edge 33e is iiexible so as to permit removal of the bag. It is preferably sewn so as to permit the bag to occupy a substantial corner of the casing during operation. t will be observed that the major axis of the bag is thus oblique to the neck.

Adjacent the dust collecting chamber, and to the rear thereof, is a filter chamber 53 containing a screen filter 5I extending substantially con.- pletely across the casing. This filter may comprise a screen 52 having a cloth cover t3. It is carried in a semi-annular groove 5&3 in the lower housing member and is pressed against a semiannular plate 55 in the upper casing member by a stud or depending ange 53 carried by the lid. When the lid 29 is raised it carries with it the flange 56, thereby freeing the upper portion of the filter. The filter may be bent suiiciently to the rear to grasp it and withdraw it upwardly from the groove 53. In order to provide an air-- tight connection, the stud 53 is provided with a groove 5l into which the flange 53 carried by the plate 55 enters. The flange 53 forms a groove 53 between itself and the casing Wall and in this is a gasket against which the iiange or stud 5t presses to form an airtight seal.

Immediately to the rear of the filter chamber 50 is a fan chamber 10, The split wall 'il between the filter chamber and the fan chamber defines one side of the fan chamber and is provided with a metal sleeve 'l2 which directs air from the lter chamber into the fan i3. This fan comprises sheet metal walls 'lll and l5, ben tween which are mounted a plurality of curved blades 15a which direct the air outwardly. The

fan is driven by the extension 1S of the motor shaft 11. Behind the wall 75 is a secondary chamber 18 within which are mounted a plurality of stationary blades 19 carried by the metal plate 80 which is mounted by a ange 8l in the split partition wall 82. rIhe internal edges of this wall define a circular opening within which the ange 8l is fitted. `A second rotary fan 90, likewise mounted on the shaft extension 16, forms a third division of the fan chamber. This fan, like the first, comprises a pair of spaced parallel sheet metal walls 9i and 92, having curved blades 93 which direct the air outwardly toward the walls of the casing, A fourth sub-compartment 94 of the fan chamber is vformedbyv the sheet metal wall 9! of the fan and the split partition walls 95 and 95a. These wallsare provided with openings, not shown, to which the air may pass from the fan chamber.

To the rear of the ian chamber is the motor chamber IBO which is dividedinto three compartments lili, 02 and l d3 by the split partition walls 104, Hita, H35 and 195o. These split walls also provide a circular seat for the eld I 96 of the motor Ilil. The compartment i533 is bounded by the walls 105 and waand the split walls Hi8 and la. The walls 95 and 95a andwalls it and I 88a are each provided with a circular central opening between them, in each of which one of the bearings of the motor is mounted, These bearings Iii) include an annular groove iii having an internal diameter somewhat less than the diameter Vof the openings, and an outer1 diameter somewhat greater. The bearings contain an interiorball bearing assembly which is not shown.

The commutator I i is immediately adjacent and inside of the rear bearing, Commutator brushes may be inserted through open-ings in the side walls of the casing. rlhe motor assembly is described more completely in the co-pending application of Charles H. Sparklin, Seria-1 No. 548,920, tiled August 10, 1944, now Patent 2,438,133 dated March 23, 1948. In that application the direction of movement of the air through the housing is likewise described Air leaves the casing by the louvers i313 but an auxiliary exhaust M0 is provided having a split gate le! through which an attachment may be introduced, thereby sealing off the normal means of exhaust and confining exhaust air to the attachment.

Suitable means for removing the cleaner are provided as, for example, wheels it@ mounted under the casing and a slide or skid 33 at the front of the casing.

The entire casing is preferably cast from a light metal such as aluminum or magnesium, but may be `cast or molded from a plastic material.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom.

What I claim as new and` desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a tank type suction cleaner, a generally cylindrical, elongated horizontal casing, a closure forming a portion of the top of the casing, a handie forfthe cleaner attached to the casing near the rear end of the closure, 'and a member eX- tending from the closure at the rear end of the closure and rotatably engaging the handle to form a pivotal mounting for the closure.

2. In a tank type suction cleaner, a generally cylindrical, elongated, horizontal casing, a closure forming a portion of the top of the casing and having a dat edge portion at the front of the casing, an entrance opening for dirt-laden air in the cuosure at the front of the cleaner adjacent said end portion, a dust bag normally positioned within the casing and having an open end, a curved rigid annular collar to which the open end of the dust bag is fastened with said collar having a flat side, and means for removably fastoning the collar Within the cleaner and around said entrance opening with the hat side arranged horizontally and the remainder of the collar extending above it, said collar being held in sealed position at least partially by the closure edge portion cooperating with the adjacent portion of the casing when said closure is closed.

3. In a tank type cleaner comprising a generally cylindrical, elongated casing having a dust chamber at one end thereof, a closure member forming a part of said casing and serving as a closure for said dust chamber, said closure member having one end pivotally attached to the casing so as to be capable of being pivoted through an arc of at least 4and the opposite end detachably secured to the casing, a dust bag having an open end and being not substantially longer than the closure member, said dust bag being normally within the dust chamber, means carried by said opposite end of the closure member for detachably securing the open end of the dust bag thereto in sealed relationship therewith', and a suction opening in the closure member communicating with the open end of the dust bag, said bag being substantially removed from the cleaner when the closure is opened to its fully opened position.

cleaner is set forth in claim 3, in which the rear end of the dust chamber is bounded by a screen filter, and the closure member includes means cooperating with the casing for sealing the lter in operating position when the closure is shut, .andfreeing the kilter for removal from the casing when. the. closureis in .open position. v

5. A cleaner as set forth in claim 3 wherein `the means for securing the open end of the, dust bag to the closure member comprises a angedneck portion around the open end of the dust bag, an annular groove on the underside of the closure member and open at one side for -a portion of its length to receive said flange, and a pressure member on said closure member for pressing that part of the ange that is not within the groove between a portion of the casing and said pressure member when the closure member is in closed position, the iiange, groove, pressure member and said portion of the casing thereby forming a seal entirely around the opening in said open end.

6. A cleaner as set forth in claim 2 wherein said collar is provided with an outwardly-extending fiange therearound, and the means for removably fastening the collar within the cleaner comprises a groove member with' an open side toward the entrance opening and fastened to the closure around said entrance opening, said grooved member having a curvature substantially the same as that of the curved portion of said collar and adapted to receive said curved portion with the ends of the groove located on opposite sides of the entrance opening and adjacent said nat edge portion, and a second flat edge portion on said easing adjacent said rst edge portion, said two edge portions being adapted to hold the flat side of said collar between them when the curved portion of the collar is Within said groove and the closure is closed.

7. In a tank type cleaner comprising a gen- 5 er'ally cylindrical, elongated casing having a dust chamber at one end thereof, a closure member forming a part of said casing and serving as a closure for said dust chamber, said closure member having one end pivot-ally attached to the casing and the opposite end detachably secured to th'e casing, a screen lter located at the end of the dust chamber adjacent the pivotal attachment of the closure member to the casing, and means on the closure member for sealing the lter in operating position when the closure is shut and freeing the lter for removal from the casing when the closure is in open position, said means including a transverse flange carried by the upper inner surface of the casing behind the filter and a complementary transverse ange carried by the closure and adapted to press on the front 6 of the lter adjacent said first mentioned flange.

EDWARD A. FRENCH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le o this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 980,944 Hatch et al Jan. 10, 1911 1,864,782 White June 28, 1932 1,946,665 Bieth Feb. 13, 1934 2,172,180 Schellens Sept. 5, 1939 2,227,302 Edstrom Deo. 31, 1940 2,244,843 Lofgren June 10, 1941 2,372,944 Forsberg Apr. 3, 1945 Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,447,500.

EDWARD A. FRENCH It is hereby certed that er numbered patent requiring correctron as follows: o

read closure; hne

and that the said Letters Patent should be read With these correctie the record of the ease '1n the Patent Ofoe.

the same may conform to 2, for the Word end read edge; hue 34, for

August 24, 1948.

rors appear '1n the printed specification of they above C lumn 4, hne l, for cuosure is set read as set; ns therem that Signed and sealed this 30th day of November, A. D. 1948.

[SEAL] THOMAS F. Assistant MURPHY, Gommz'ssz'oner of Patents. 

